Warren Michael Manzi

Warren Michael Manzi, son of the late Flora A. Manzi, died peacefully at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen on Thursday, after a brief illness. He was surrounded by family and loved ones. Warren, a 1980 graduate of the prestigious Yale School of Drama, was the author of the longest-running non musical play in New York theatre history, Perfect Crime, which is still playing in Times Square. This historic play opened at The Courtyard Theater in Greenwich Village on April 18, 1987. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Warren was a member?acting and directing?of the Garrett Players, a highly acclaimed Greater Lawrence area theatre company. With affection and devotion for the group, Warren led the local troupe to win several awards throughout New England and the opportunity to perform in Finland. As a director with the Garrett Players, Warren was a five time winner of the Best Director Award at the New England Theatre Conference, an unprecedented feat which has never been equaled. Prior to Yale, Warren?s education included the Venerini Sisters, Holy Rosary School, Central Catholic High School?all in Lawrence, MA?and Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA. While at Holy Rosary, Warren distinguished himself in oratory competitions and continued his mastery of this field while at Central Catholic, preparing himself for what transpired to be a prominent theatrical career. He appeared on Broadway in Amadeus and in the Hollywood films Nuts, The Manhattan Project, and The Defection of Simas Kurdika. In 1980, while playing the role of Mozart in Amadeus, Warren wrote his first full length play, the original version of Perfect Crime which was optioned for Broadway that same year, making Warren?then age twenty five?the youngest American ever to have a play optioned for Broadway. Within a year, Warren was hired by Universal Studios to write the screenplay for its film project, Clue. However, when the project was assumed by Paramount Pictures, Warren felt that the quality had diminished, so he decided to relinquish his right to authorship credit for the finished product that was ultimately released. He has written several screenplays and recently completed a novel and was still working on a series of short stories. Warren has directed in New York City several dramatic works which he had authored: Stages (at The Courtyard Playhouse), The Award and Other Plays (at Theater Four) and Cleo Liberman?s All Girl Revue (at The Ballroom). In New York, Warren also directed Matt Cutugno's Incommunicado, Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, the world premieres of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s Between Time and Timbuktu and Samm Art Williams' Cork, Ionesco's Rhinoceros, George Kaiser's From Morning to Midnight, Keith Reddin's Rum & Coke, Heathcote Williams' The Local Stigmatic and Durrenmatt's The Visit. He was the Artistic Director of The Actors Collective for many years. With his exceptional quick-mindedness and keen sense of humor, Warren was the consummate entertainer and inspired many. He deeply enjoyed his work and devoted extraordinary time to help less experienced thespians gain insight and flourish. Many actors in New York City credit Warren for having generously given his time to help them in developing their acting skills. Warren loved to play chess and tennis. Like his mother, enjoyed?and was good at?bowling. He was married to Ellen Margaret (Michelin) Manzi, who tragically died on January 15, 1996, just a few months after their wedding. His mother, Flora, died on May 21, 2003. Warren was proud to be one of the fifty-six grandchildren of Michele and Angelina Manzi, born in Quindici and Marzano Appio, respectively, in Italy prior to their coming to settle in Lawrence in the early part of the twentieth century. He is the fifth grandchild to join them in Glory. The funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Rosary Church of Corpus Christi Parish, where both Warren and his mother, Flora, were life-long parishioners. Arrangements are under the direction of the John Breen Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 122 Amesbury Street, Lawrence, MA. For online condolences and other information please visit us at www.breenfuneralhome.com.